PPC a la Chii - Track 5

(It’s panda quiz time! I pulled an all nighter studying for it, so I’m getting at least an 80% for sure!)

At least, that’s what Chii thought…

To think Azekawa-kun would be the only one to get all the questions correct…

No, when you think about it, of course he did. Perhaps I was caught off guard by the changes in the conditions.

(Kinari-kun pressed the button and answered correctly before Handa-san could even finish reading the question… He left no room for anyone else to answer…)

We truly stood no chance, Kinari!

WaaaaAAAAH…! My tears of joy are blinding meeeee…! To think that there was someone else out there that loved pandas this muuuuch… (sniff sniff) ….

You even remembered the sacred slogan of the Appreciation Gathering of Panda Ears from Pandas Kissky…!

Wh-What kinda cult is that…?

Azekawa Kinari-san! I hereby declare you a fellow disciple of the Ways of the Panda ☆…! A true god among men…!

Thank you very much, Handa-sama.

(Sighs)… I’m already getting bored. Can I leave?

Your ambassador duties are about to begin, Domeki-san. Please don’t go anywhere.

(Aww, so cute… This panda is eating bamboo! There are so many… Adventure World is awesome.)

Maaaan, I wanted to answer the quiz question about that! Pandas eat 20 to 30 kilos of bamboo a day!

Additionally, they have a sweet sense of taste, and close their eyes when they find bamboo delicious!

I totally wanted to say that pandas have a meat-eater’s guts and super sharp teeth too!

It’s also said that as they no longer worry about being preyed upon, they switched to a vegetarian diet and their hunting strength decreased!

(Chihiro-kun and Nayuki-kun must be frustrated they couldn’t use their knowledge… Their quarrel has turned into a trivia rally…)

Anyhoo, way to go getting all the questions right, Kinyari! I wuuuuuuuv you!

Thank you, Chihiro. I love you too.

That reminds me, the black patches around pandas’ eyes are supposed to act the way sunglasses do. I saw some kind of sunglasses that turn you into a panda at a stall, should we try them on?

Wait, FR?! I am so grabbing a pair later! I’ll go full hype panda mode～☆

(…Oh, but looking at them again now… it’s kind of spooky how you can’t really see a panda’s eyes, isn’t it?)

(There’s so many people… It looks like everyone came to check out the pandas.)

So are Mitsuki and I just clickbait to you? You’d use your own family to get more views?!

……

(I don’t wanna think about that anymore. I’m a panda ambassador now, so I gotta stay positive!)

(I’ll find all the panda cuteness there is!)

This panda ambassador gig is way harder than I thought~! I’m beat!

Good work. The distance we had to traverse for our posts wasn’t that big this time, but we had a crazy number of visitors anyway.

I was super stoked to see a bunch of fans running up to meet me~! Kugurin’s usual fan showed up too, that’s some crazy stan behavior!

Ahaha… Kuguri-san was as cold as always though…

We still got two hours until shift swap, so let’s just chill here and have lunch at this market!

Toretore Market… I wonder if they do stuff like tuna cutting shows? There’s a lot of seafood here and the place is so lively…

I asked Chiefy, and it turns out this place is one of the biggest seafood markets on Japan’s west coast! It’s run by a pretty fancy fishing group, so you can find loads of fresh fish!

You can just buy whatever and then get it grilled nearby! We should totes do that with the rest of Ev3ns later if we’ve got time!

We can eat seafood donburi here? There are so many variations and they all look so good…

……

Chihiro? What’s up?

N-Nothing! I’m gonna check out that sushi place over there! Save us seats!

Did he see that poster over there…?

Haaah, the seafood chirashi bowl was so good! I went with the small size, but I totally could’ve handled the large!

Haha, I think I could go for a second serving, too. The sashimi had a fresh and solid flavor, too.

≪Everyone! Please welcome the market ambassadors, 13’s!≫

……?!

Isn’t 13’s that…

…Yeah, they’re the group that was formed on the show I failed the audition for. Looks like they’re doing a collab with the market. I saw a poster of them earlier.

……

≪Here is 13’s Killer Angel, Susugaya Komu!≫

……!

(Komu-kun… It’s only natural he would have a speech.)

≪It’s our third collaboration in Wakayama! I’m really grateful that they keep inviting us back!≫

≪I actually love pandas… I have a special bond to them. They’re tied to some really important memories for me.≫

(…I know. That memory of Komu-kun’s. It’s the one he told me when we were on the audition show.)

Komupi, you put more family photos up! This new one you put up… Is that with a panda?

Ehehe, I love this one in particular. We didn’t have much growing up, but we’d go on a family trip once every year. That time, they took me all the way to Tokyo to see the pandas.

I see…

(Even though we live closer to Tokyo than Komu-kun, Mom never took me even once…)

Th-That’s nice… Chii’s never seen a panda before~

Whaaat?! Why don’t we go together to see them as a reward after the program? It would definitely be fun if it’s with you!

Yeah, sure.

It’s a promise! Until you go see them with me, panda’s are no go!

Ahaha, no pandas before then? What’s up with that?

(I made that promise wondering if it even meant anything… but I’m sure he definitely forgot about it.)

(Besides, unlike me, he was someone who was loved a lot by others… If Komu-kun was a panda, he would definitely be pink.)

(Way different from the pure white panda me…)

≪Actually, there’s a friend whom I haven’t seen recently, I promised that we’ll see the pandas together someday.≫

…!

≪It’s a promise I’ll definitely make come true soon!≫

(Is he talking about me…? There’s no way.)

…Oh, is this about you?

I… think so? We did make a promise, but I haven’t even replied to Komupi’s DM…

A promise, huh? Then this really is about you?

But I don’t even know if we’re still friends anymore… And before I ended up in The Monkey’s Cage, there was this variety show shoot I got called to, and I ended up seeing the pandas.

Hm? What’s wrong with seeing one?

Komupi said I can’t see one until we see them together. He said they’re a no go until we go together…

But it was a rare TV appearance, even if it was just a local station… So I took the job knowing I’d see the pandas.

(Even though it was for my sisters’ tuition fee…)

(I chose virality over our promise… Maybe mom was right about me. Maybe I really am just scum…)

……